Seventh Hokage
by XxNarutoFanGurlxX
Summary: Having no other choice, they elected him to become the new Hokage during the rise of the Fourth Great Ninja War. But when Madara strikes, all goes into chaos and the ninja struggle to overcome the violence and terror that this battle brought.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto and never will

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><p><em><strong>Seventh Hokage<strong>_

_**Chapter 1: The Beginning**_

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><p>She drove her fist into the sternum of her nearest attacker, quickly flinging a wave of shuriken toward the rest of the platoon. As the opponent fell, ten more ninja closed in around her, their hands retrieving weapons from their packs. Perhaps it should have been flattering that she was considered such a threat. But it wasn't, really.<p>

Double-edged kunai was thrown at her from various directions, and having no openings to retreat, she crossed her arms in front of her face and hoped for the best, trying to ignore the shooting pain as each kunai dug deep into her skin. Finally, knowing that she had another chance to attack, she ran toward one ninja with chakra-boosted power and crashed into him. The enemy was dead when he hit the hard concrete ground.

Panting with adrenaline and the beginnings of fatigue, Sakura Haruno fled the area, her arms and legs wounded. She only had one thing in mind, and that was to escape the Hidden Leaf Village from the arising Fourth Great Ninja War.

Hinata was the first to warn her. Her father, Hiashi Hyuga, had run home with the terrible news of Madara Uchiha dominating the village, and then Hinata ran to Sakura's apartment complex and practically dragged her out of her home before the brainwashed ninja, or so she was told, breached the walls of the building.

Yes, brainwashed ninja that belonged to many different nations, including the Fire Nation. From what Hinata had told her, Madara had somehow gotten their own ninja, mostly the ANBU and chunin, to turn against the Hidden Leaf and destroy the area. It was a very difficult concept to understand, but this was Madara Uchiha she was talking about. That man is a completely different ninja from the rest of them. He held more obscure strength and power than anyone else, which is enough to bring destruction to the entire world.

The raven-haired kunoichi had told her everything, the whole situation, as they both hopelessly ran across the rubble. She didn't know how, but she was separated from Hinata by the time she had reached the North Gate. Then that was when the ninja had launched an attack on her, leaving her no other choice but to fight back. Fight and run away; this was all she has been doing for the past few hours.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice rang in her ears, and she embraced the sound tightly, almost too glad to find out that one of her comrades are still alive. "Sakura!"

She wearily looked over her shoulder to see Choji Akimichi running in her direction, his hand waving crazily in the air. Within a few seconds, he had reached her and was desperately clinging onto her. "You have to get out of here now! Madara sent three platoons to search for you, so you'd better hurry and bolt!" he whispered harshly, his hands gripping onto her wrists.

He forcefully tried pushing her over the North Gate wall, but was only shoved back. "Choji! I am not leaving without you or the rest!" she snarled fiercely, her eyes flaring with anger. "If Madara gets his dirty hands on Naruto, we are sure to be in danger. He already has eight of the jinchuriki, and if he were to capture Naruto, he would recreate the ultimate monster, the Ten-Tailed Beast!"

"No, you can't go back now," he hissed gravely, "You know that you hold vital information on the Hidden Leaf Village, and that is exactly why he is after you. If you look for Naruto or any of the others, you are most likely going to fall into his trap!" He nudged her again. "Trust me, Sakura. I assure you that he and the others would escape."

She glared at him for a long moment before nodding doubtfully. Crouching, she prepared to leap off the collapsing wall, her head hanging low and her body shaking violently. "Wait! What about you, Choji!" she suddenly realized, her voice rising to an unreasonable level.

"I'll be alright," he gave a reassuring smile, yet it seemed too fake for her to believe, "Now go!"

He forced her off the ledge and she felt herself hit the cold, moist ground with a thud. Glancing up, she could no longer see his face but only could hear his loud dramatic yell. Helplessly trying to ignore the fact that he might have been captured, or even killed, she scrambled to her feet and used the last of her energy to run further and further into the woods.

She didn't bother to cover her tracks, for it would take up too much time and lessen her chances of living. It was likely that the ninja could be following her, but she swore to never look back and keep moving on. She promised - crossed her heart and hoped to die - that when she returned, she would be sure to make everything normal once again.

**. . .**

The Rasengan sent his opponent flying through the walls of the Hidden Leaf Academy, the burning roof descending down on top of him and raining a shower of ashes down upon Naruto Uzumaki's head. Honestly, he hated destroying civilian property, but he had no other choice than to do so. He barely had enough time to take a breath before five more ninja leaped at him.

His clone roundhouse kicked one, while he stabbed another with a spare kunai. He whirled to confront the last tnree, but found them dead on the ground, their neck snapped by Shikamaru's shadow strangle jutsu. His teammate dropped from the roof across the street, where six more corpses lay, and limped to his side. Their darkening eyes met only for a second before the two of them started off toward the Eastern Gate.

The both of them knew very well that Madara wasted no time in trying to capture Naruto, the nine-tailed fox. The Uchiha was known for overcoming the most difficult obstacles in life and turning them against the innocent, which was basically the process that he and Shikamaru were experiencing right now. But fighting off the brainwashed and running was all they could do for the time being. Doing anything hasty could be a big risk toward the Hidden Villages.

"Were there any others who have accompanied you in battle, Naruto?" Shikamaru held his voice to a low level, careful to not give away their position. "Who exactly warned you about this chaos?"

Naruto's jaw suddenly clenched and he held his hand close to his sides, his fingers flexing uncomfortably. Shikamaru questioningly took a glimpse of the yellow-haired ninja, wondering why his mood shifted dramatically. The jinchuriki didn't reply nor reacted to his long stare until they passed the Hokage's Mansion.

The mansion was breaking down. The walls were tumbling onto the ground, exposing the inner construction work, and the windows were shattered into broken pieces. The small patches of grass surrounding the building was on fire, the puff of smoke growing bigger by the minute. It was a devastating sight…

"He…sensei…" For a short moment, he lost his voice. "The Hokage accompanied me until we reached the Southern Gate. Then we were suddenly ambushed by a full platoon of ANBU, and we fought them off since we were unable to retreat. Suddenly, I lost sight of him and I didn't know where he went. The last thing I can recall was having him pull me away from the battlefield. I don't know what happened to him…"

They took a turn around a street and kept their footsteps silent as the both of them jumped off a steady tree. They began hopping across rooftops, avoiding the search parties.

"I doubt that he would give up that easily, Naruto," sighed Shikamaru. He held tightly onto the lighter that he obtained from Asuma Sarutobi three years ago when he had died. He kept it close to him ever since the incident. "Believe me, he is fine. I bet he already escaped. It is likely that he is already creating an alliance - a resistance, maybe. For now, let's just focus on our objective and escape the village. It's for your own good…Let's just hope that Madara doesn't know of your whereabouts. We'd be dead by then if he found out…"

"Alright." Naruto jumped off a branch and flew high into the sky with the black-haired ninja right beside him, eventually landing in the middle of what appeared to be the Forest of Quite Movement. Knowing that the area still wasn't safe to hang around, they moved further into the woods, forcing their thoughts away from what could be happening in the Hidden Leaf.

They both just hoped that everyone was okay, including the Hokage.

**. . .**

**(Two Months Earlier)**

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged incredulous glances, the both of them surprised and frightened at the same time. They both knew that if Danzou has indeed fallen in the battle between him and Sasuke Uchiha, then they must pick another Hokage and fast, otherwise the Hidden Leaf Village would fall into the hands chaos once again.

"The decision is final," demanded Koharu, "We must pick the Seventh Hokage immediately."

"I understand what you are saying, Koharu," sighed Homura, "But who, exactly?"

Sai merely stared at the two elders, his face expressionless. He bowed his head slightly when they averted their gazes to him and knelt to the ground, his hand planted on one knee and the other by his side. He silently suggested, "What about Kakashi Hatake? We have spoken about it with Shikaku Nara and many others, and they all agreed that he should be Hokage. Kakashi even volunteered to do so, since there was no other choice."

The old woman placed her fingers on her chin and stroked it confusingly. "I suppose we can accept the boy. He is very skilled and his father was the White Fang of the Hidden Leaf. Perhaps we can accept him under a few circumstances, but isn't he a bit too young? I heard he is only twenty nine, despite the old looks his mask gives him."

"Well," began Sai, "arrange a meeting that includes Kakashi Hatake. You shall talk about the terms and such, then maybe work out some of your problems from there." He stood up and turned his back on the elders. "I hope you do make your decisions quickly, because remember that Madara Uchiha could strike any moment. He is the one who started the Fourth Great Ninja War."

**. . .**

**(One Month Before The War)**

He paused before entering to catch a quick breath. He was here early, in the Hokage's mansion, due to a scheduled meeting that was mandatory for him and a few others. Knowing that it must be very important, he came as soon as he can, which explains his immediate arrival. Unfortunately, he, Kakashi Hatake, was very exhausted. He had just came back from a mission in which he had encountered Madara Uchiha, tried to save Sakura from the poisonous kunai, and attempted to prevent Naruto from talking to Sasuke Uchiha any further. It was all very tiring and he was hoping to get a rest when he got home, but sadly, he was out of luck. He was expecting all of this to occur anyways, considering that he may become the new Hokage for the mean time.

Gently pushing the double doors open with his gloved hands, he entered silently and claimed his seat in between Shikaku Nara and Ibiki Morino. Sitting to the right of Ibiki was Inoichi Yamanaka, father of Ino Yamanaka, and sitting to the left of Shikaku was the elders, along with Shizune. Finally, the feudal lord of the Fire Nation was on the far end of the meeting table, and apparently, he was glaring intently in Kakashi's direction.

"Hm, everyone is present, am I correct?" The daimyo settled his hands, one on top of another, on the table and observed the ninja around him, his eyes especially concentrated on the Copy Ninja. Everyone nodded and he continued, "Good. So we have gathered here to speak about the election of the Seventh Hokage, in replacement of Tsunade until she awakens from her coma. To my surprise, everyone here in this room agrees to nominate Kakashi Hatake as Hokage."

"Hai," they all said simultaneously, their firm voices bouncing off the newly plastered walls.

"So does anyone oppose him as being Hokage? Anyone who does, please raise their hands. You are allowed to change your decision if you wish, but it has to be before I actually determine the answer of the nomination." The daimyo's fragile voice broke the uneasy feeling in the atmosphere, his elderly body shaking continuously. He waited patiently before announcing his answer. "All right, Kakashi Hatake. Please stand."

Kakashi pushed his chair back and stood up, careful to not make too much of a ruckus. Ignoring the intense stares his comrades were giving him, he nodded his head slightly and stated, "Hai."

"You are now the Seventh Hokage. You will be put into hardworking labor and you shall not give up on Konoha. You will not let your people down and you will not allow anyone to die without a backbreaking fight, ninja or civilian. I forbid you from going on missions, unless it is necessary or if your former team needs you. If you are to leave, you must notify Shizune so that she can handle the paperwork while you are absent from the village. You are not acquired to wear the Hokage's uniform all the time, only when you wish to. And you will only be Hokage until Tsunade fully recovers from her coma. When she passes away, you will be nominated Hokage once again for you to continue your position as leader of the village. Do you understand all of these circumstances, Kakashi?" The feudal lord kept his eyes firm on the young ninja.

"Yes, I understand the circumstances of being the Hokage and I will not let Konoha or any other of the alliances down. You have my word," replied Kakashi, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table top.

"Very well." The daimyo motioned for the rest to stand up, so they followed orders and did what they were told to. "You will take your position as Hokage starting tomorrow afternoon, Hatake-sama." He emphasized 'sama' in his sentence.

"Thank you." Kakashi bowed his head in appreciation, his ears oblivious to the thundering noise of his fellow ninja clapping. "I promise," he whispered, too quite for anyone to hear, "I won't let any one of you down."

**. . .**

The sunlight nearly blinded her as she stepped out into the open. The sky was bright blue and there was not a single dark cloud to be seen. Birds soared with the wind and other wild animals enjoyed the nice weather as well. Despite the beautiful scenery, Sakura Haruno was still furious about the Hidden Village's second collapse since their encounter with Pein - or Nagato. And just when they were recovering, Madara Uchiha decided that he would announce the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War. There were barely any rubble, but some destroyed buildings were still in sight. Although the whole village was damaged physically and emotionally, both villagers and ninja were working together to make an even stronger economy. The fact that the will of fire brightens everyone's future amazes her greatly, especially when people push their way past the most despairing times.

As she stepped deeper into the situation, she realized that she was beginning to enter the rebuilt section of the village where most of the shops, restaurants, and apartments are located. Seeing this lightened her mood up. She was glad the village was getting back on its feet so soon. It gave her more hope…and will to move on.

A pastry stand caught her eye and her stomach grumbled loudly after looking hungrily at the newly baked breads and cakes. After giving into hunger, she excitedly reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out thirty ryo. She gave the money to the old woman and received a caramel-glazed bread in return. Eventually, the kunoichi thanked the lady and walked away. Every now and then, she would take a small bite, her attention averting from one thing to another. Villagers and ninja - mostly chunin - walked across the streets, arms full of construction supplies or necessities. Some were very determined to complete rebuilding the village, or so as she overheard, and others were just too exhausted after going overboard.

"Father, I only could buy these with the money I found. It could help us."

A little boy - about eight years old - ran across the direction she was walking in and stopped dead in front of his father. The two of them seemed well enough, but the little boy's face was wounded. On his small little chin, there was a narrow wound that trailed down to his neck. It looked as if he had gotten it from a fight - it appeared to be a cut from a kunai. It seemed quite painful.

"It's okay, son. When the village is repaired, we can move back into our home and then everything would be back to normal. We would have more money and I could buy us more food and items," said the father, his hand ruffling the boy's medium-cut hair, "I promise."

His head twisted to the right, then to the left. "Where's mother and older brother?"

"Your mom is helping deliver documents for Lady Hokage with your brother. You know how your mother can't give up her priorities as a jounin, and your brother too. He needs to work more so he can rank up to a chunin. They'll be back in the next few hours," he whispered, "Now let's eat half of this bread and save the rest for supper. We don't have anymore money to spend so we'll have to conserve some food for the time being. And make sure to save some for your mother and brother. They have to eat dinner as well."

Listening to their conversation pained Sakura. So many people. So many innocent people. They were all damaged and hurt due to the constant fighting and war. Most of them crawled around and tried looking for something useful while others were lucky and found items that were necessary in life. It just wasn't fair…Actually, life was never fair.

Being unable to resist the sorrow, the pink-haired kunoichi walked up and stopped in front of the two villagers. She slipped on her gloves and reached into her pocket. She pulled out fifty ryo and gave it to the little boy without a word. Then, not asking for their permission, she pressed her teal, glowing hand to the boy's chin, watching intently as the wound sluggishly closed.

"Thank you miss," thanked the boy, "You are very kind!"

He gave her a tight hug around the legs, nearly making her fall onto her back. She shun a small grin and patted him head gently before backing away. The father repeated the same words except in a more well-mannered way and returned the smile.

She bowed her head slightly and said, "Just remember, the ninja of the Hidden Leaf won't ever forget their people. Take care, and please, do not hesitate to use the money I gave you."

With that having said, the Medic Nin strode away, feeling quite proud of herself for helping out a pair of poor villagers. Still, the fact that many were emotionally scarred for life saddened her.

Feeling a tad bit bored, she decided that she would explore the west side of the village, the part where she and her former Team Seven usually hang around.

Searching for the most memorable places, she spotted the collapsed Ichiraku Ramen and Barbe-Q restaurant, where she, Sai, and Naruto usually ate together during their free time. It was always fun, despite the awkwardness Sai would cause with his unusual silence. She could recall when Sai had once complimented Naruto on his improved skills, and to her surprise, Naruto had said thanks without creating an argument. Usually, the jinchuriki boy would act up and furiously wonder why Sai would say something so normal like that. But this time, nothing like that occurred. Maybe she just never thought that Naruto would start growing up…

All of a sudden, a shattered row of booths captured her gaze, bringing her to only the remnants of the stand where they sold Jiraiya-sensei's perverted novels, the Icha Icha series. Smiling ever so foolishly, she leaned onto a cracked post that seemed sturdy enough, and observed the fallen bookstore that Kakashi had once loved - he loved it almost too much that it made it look as if he was dearly obsessed with it, although he probably was, considering that he brought it almost everywhere with him.

She wondered what made those books so appealing toward men. She was very curious indeed and she had once wanted to read it herself, but she decided that she wouldn't for the sake of her reputation - she never wanted anyone thinking that she was just as inappropriate as her former mentor. She can name a variety of things that make a book absolutely nasty; sex, forced sex, painful sex, sloppy kissing, drinking alcohol, flirting incredibly, caressing, molesting, harassment, and…well you get the point, she can go on and on with this list.

Just thinking about all of this brought her thoughts to the images of her former Team Seven sensei. These were definitely one of the things that represented him. And there were many more out there. Another item that represents him is the memorial garden, yet that isn't necessarily an item. It's more like a…place.

No matter what time of what day she went there, she would always spot the jounin standing in front of the Memorial Stone, his head slightly bowed, his silver hair draped over his hitai-ate and forehead. He always, and she meant always, looked pained. Whenever she decided that she would pray for the fallen herself, she would either accompany him or stand beside him, trying to ignore her presence. She could remember how many times she stole a peak of his masked face. The look in his single onyx eye worried her, yet it assured her that he was alright. That man…is hard to decipher.

Another thought crossed her mind, a grin managing to wrench itself onto her lips. She had forgotten…he was the one who gave her hope in the first place. He was the being who helped her to her feet and led her through the winding paths of life, despite the fact that he wasn't actually there for her. It was almost as if he had bequeathed his will of fire to her. Wherever she went, she felt him by her side. He was a role model, not much of a good one, but an inspirational man indeed. A strong ninja like him…just thinking about him and his accomplishments made her want to train as much as Naruto would.

Speaking of accomplishments…he was also the new Hokage. He was only going to be the Seventh Hokage until Tsunade-sama awakens from her coma, or at least, that's what she had heard from Shikamaru Nara. The word has spread quite quickly actually, not that it surprised her. Whenever it came to electing a new leader, the village bursts into sudden excitement and grief.

Sighing silently, she departed from the area and began walking to the memorial gardens, the only place that wasn't destroyed during Pein's warfare. At first, she didn't know why that was her next destination, but perhaps it's just the simple need to honor the fallen ninja of Konoha. But she has been doing this awfully a lot since her last reunion meet with Team Seven. Like Captain Yamato said, maybe the jounin was rubbing off on her.

A few minutes passed and Sakura finally arrived at the gardens. She passed through the arched gateway, then followed the gravel path that led her through the graves of ninja and civilians. All of a sudden, she spotted that familiar speck of silver in the far distance, a masculine figure standing tall in front of the Hidden Leaf Memorial Stone, his head hanging and his hands stuffed in his pockets. Of course, she knew who it was.

"I thought you were on duty as Hokage, Kakashi." Sakura stood beside him, not bothering to take a single glance at him. She knows how much he needs his space when he's thinking about his childhood past and such, especially when he was present here in the memorial gardens.

Kakashi Hatake stole a peek at her nonchalant expression, then released a harsh breath. "I will take my position starting tomorrow afternoon, according to the feudal lord's orders," he said calmly, "I'm going to have to start working harder from now on…"

"Hm." Sakura shook her head confusingly and crossed her arms. "You're going to have a bunch of innocent lives in your hands, so you must handle the village well and make sure that no conflict gets out of hand. From what I observed when I hung around Lady Tsunade, you must have to complete a lot of paperwork and such. You probably aren't going to have time to spend even a few seconds with me and Team Seven…"

Yes, she knew that he wouldn't have a single chance to spend quality time with her and the others. If he is going to be Seventh Hokage, he is going to have to do a whole lot of backbreaking work. And if she or Naruto, Sai, and Captain Yamato were to get in the way, he would be distracted and the village would fall into chaos once again.

Sorrowfully, she mentally promised to not become an obstacle. Yet, if they all were to avoid, they would grow farther and farther apart from each other…just how they did during her genin years.

"I know that you're worried about me, but don't fret. I'll handle the conflicts, then everything will be back to normal, okay?" She looked up at him to find his single eye cringed happily, more or less. "I know I have let you down many times, and I'm sorry. But I promise that I won't allow anything to get in the way of our friendship while I work to protect the village. Trust me, Sakura."

Growing slightly happy, she pushed herself to expose a bright small smile. "Don't be reckless, Kakashi. And please…stay safe."

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>

Review If You Wish To


	2. The Formations

Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto and never will

In case you don't know what this word means, here is a translation:

-taichou = For a captain, ex. Hatake-taichou (Captain Hatake)

In case you don't know what these names mean, here is a translation:

Keisuke = The Blessing, The Kindness

Sora = Blue Sky

Tsuyoshi = Strong, Tough

Kaori = Fragrance, Aroma, Perfume

(I am informing you of this because this will eventually come up in your reading toward the end of the chapter)

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><p><em><strong>Seventh Hokage<strong>_

_**Chapter 2: The Formations**_

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><p>She sprinted through the woods, skillfully dodging the trees and shrubs that lay in her path. Nonstop, she has been running for three hours, too afraid to look back. The border to the Water Country was less than two hundred kilometers away, and if she were to keep the current pace up, she would probably make it by midnight.<p>

Sakura crossed the border by the time the sky darkened from crimson red to black. Immediately, she skidded to a halt and let her weakened body collapse against a small tree stump, her cheek pressed against the hollow insides. She decided that she would rest here for the meantime. Madara knows that it's too difficult to search for many ninja who escaped in a variety of ways, so it is unlikely that she would spot a search party any time soon. Besides that, he wouldn't know where to start. There are many trails that led from the Hidden Leaf, some maybe even covered.

Wearily, she tended to her wounded arms, applying the little chakra that she had left. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to heal the gashes on her legs, but luckily, she had a roll of bandages and medicinal ointment in her ninja pouch to use. Slowly, she wrapped the bandage around her left knee and right thigh after applying the moist cream, the burning sensation eventually cooling off. She knew that she had to eat, but she was to exhausted to hunt for food. A few edible plants were in the pouch - she had hoped it would come in handy for medical reasons - but she didn't have the energy to reach in and grab it.

Sighing with a mixture of relief and utter disappointment, she forced her eyelids closed and dozed off into a deep sleep, the destruction of her village haunting her mind.

**. . .**

Harshly, the chunin pushed her to the cold, concrete ground. She stopped her fall with her bleeding hands and bit back an arrogant groan. Baring her teeth and narrowing her pure white eyes, she looked up into the gaze of Madara Uchiha. His dark, blood-red eye pierced right through her, leaving a barren hole within her heart.

"So, you are the one who had warned Sakura Haruno about my sudden ambush on the Hidden Leaf Village," he chuckled deeply, "You stupid leaf ninja brats. You always sacrifice yourself in order to save another. It disgusts me!" He gripped onto her raven-colored hair and jerked her head up, then stared at her angrily. "Now tell me, darling, did she escape this village?"

Hinata Hyuga clenched her jaw and shook her head. She was slapped hard on her cheek bone, and she gritted her teeth in pain. Again, she gave no response and received yet another punishment from the Uchiha. Over and over again, she was asked, then hit. Oddly enough, she didn't let him know how much it hurt. Not a sqeal, not a scream. Only the grinding of her teeth filled the bloody atmosphere.

Honestly, she didn't know where Sakura was at this very moment, but she was sure that the medic nin had escaped.

She could recall having to run, side by side with the pink-haired girl, toward the Northern Gate. They were successful for a while until they were all of a sudden attacked by a couple of chunin and ANBU agents. Sakura and her fought together, but eventually she began to realize that more and more were arriving. Having no other choice, she had lured most of the opponents away and disappeared from sight, hoping that Sakura would be able to escape the conflict.

Mentally smiling, she hung her head as a river of blood breached through her cracked lips. She knew that she probably wouldn't be able to live to see the day when the Hidden Leaf Village would rise to its fullest, but she also knew that she had done well to save her comrades.

"You're a hard one to get through, child." She averted her gaze to the Akatsuki and thought she saw his single eye cringe. "You are no use to me, girl. Any last words before I take your life away?" He held a kunai close to her throat, knowing that she wouldn't be able to flee due to the lack of her energy.

She didn't want to die. She didn't want to fall to the ground, dead with no history of successful accomplishments…No…Now that she thinks about it, she has completed quite a lot of tasks. For one, she had protected Naruto from Pein during the Akatsuki's reign and nearly died in the process. She wasn't sure what happened after that, but she knew that Naruto had defeated the so-called God…Maybe it was fate for her to die, after all. Her time in this world is over…Yes, she shall fall in battle with pride and bequeath her Will of Fire to someone else. Her sister, perhaps. Or maybe Neji, her cousin.

Snapping back into reality, the kunoichi slowly nodded and managed to murmur, "You…will never…" She paused, feeling as if the world was now spinning around her. Putting her last energy into her words, she transferred chakra into her hand and jabbed Madara right in the stomach, cutting off one of his chakra paths. Glaring right at him, she growled, "You will never overcome the power of the Hidden Leaf Ninja!"

Just then, he held her by the neck and threw her into the air, joyously observing her body land onto the large rubble. Helplessly, she followed his figure with her opal specks as he disappeared into the smoke, the chunin walking right behind him.

Frowning, she gazed at the blazing orange sky. The fire and ashes were flying high, sparks shooting up from the electrical wires placed around the Interrogation Building. Unfortunately, she was too tired to notice the black ink dragging her away from the area…

**. . .**

The rustling of leaves woke Sakura up. Glancing at her surroundings, she remembered the horrific details of yesterday. The blood, the fallen, the surrendering…it tortured her heart, almost like a whip tearing a person to pieces.

Sorrowfully, she squinted her emerald-teal eyes at the lilac-colored sky. From what she has observed, it must be full dawn, meaning that she should be on the run again. Madara Uchiha has most likely sent his comrades to search for the missing, and maybe some of the brainwashed ANBU agents and chunin. Of course, there is a high probability that she might encounter Sasuke Uchiha, a friend that she has once loved so much, and Kisame Hoshigake, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Sadly, she doesn't know the rest of his acquaintances, but there is time to think about that now. Her only goal at the moment is to reach Kirigakure, or the Hidden Mist Village.

Yes, she knows how dangerous that village is, but it's not like she has any other choice. Aside that, it is her only chances of covering her tracks and disguising herself. Perhaps she must give herself a fake name, just until she finds the rest of her teammates.

Suddenly, her ears caught the sound of footsteps. Immediately, she reacted and took action. She stood up, trying to ignore her sore and stiff limbs, and bounced off the tree stump with one foot, sending her soaring in the air. Perfectly, she landed in a nearby tree branch that seemed stable enough to hold her, then she used the leaves to hide her face and body, also setting her chakra to a low level.

Intently, she watched the dirt path. Just like she thought, someone rushed through the area - more like a ninja - but tripped carelessly over a twig. The ninja was a man. His hair was blonde and it was tied up into a ponytail. It was difficult to see his face, but it was easy to identify the man just by looking at his pure black coat. Inoichi Yamanaka.

Just then, two leaf chunin leaped out of the heavily wooded area and surrounded him, each hand holding a kunai. They closed in around him, preventing an opening for him to flee. Horrified, Inoichi tried to back away, his wounded arm shaking violently and his knees locked tight. He was in no condition of fighting back, or even trying to escape, if that was what he had in mind in the first place.

Unable to bear the horrific scene, Sakura launched her chakra-powered body at the two leaf chunin, not caring that they were only brainwashed by the Akatsuki. She could feel the jounin's gaze pierce through her as she fought off the ninja. Mentally, she slapped herself and focused her attention on her current opponents.

After roundhouse kicking one, she shot a shuriken toward another, only to have him dodge it. The ninja with the bandanna wrapped around his head quickly dove his fist into her stomach, causing her to fall back. Luckily enough, she was able to avoid the double-edged kunai that the other flung at her.

Rolling to her side, she threw a paper bomb in their direction and released the seal as soon as it skinned their legs. A large explosion consumed the both of them, a wave of smoke covering the small area. Waiting impatiently to see if they have lived or not, she ran directly into the crater, only to have her shoulder blade pushed out of its socket by an incoming kick. Screaming out in utter pain, she held onto her arm and frantically looked around her. Another attack came at her with lighting speed, and after having to quickly form a plan in her head, she ducked and slid in between one chunin's spread-out legs. Jumping up from behind him, she summoned a chain whip and lashed it at her assailant, watching intensely as the end pierced his waist.

The Leaf nin fell to the ground with a thud, his hand gripping onto his side. Knowing that he was unable to battle anymore, she searched for the second. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted him. He was rushing at her with his largely summoned weapon, a grin wrenching itself onto his lips and his eyes faintly glowing crimson. Nodding to herself, she managed to whip him on his ankles, the chains pulling his feet together. Crazily, he tugged at it in hope of undoing the trap despite the fact that he knew there was no escaping.

Sluggishly, she strode her way toward the man and slit her kunai deep into his cheek, glaring at his face as the blood oozed out of his skin. Knowing that he intended to do no more, she untangled the chain and brought him and his acquaintance together, eventually wrapping them tightly in a bundle. Harshly, she settled them against a cracked boulder and averted her attention to Inoichi, who was calmly sitting in the middle of the path, his oceanic eyes concentrated on her.

"You have fled the village too," began Sakura as she tended to his wounded arm. After a few seconds of complete silence, the gash was closed and she started the same process on his back. "Where is Ino and your wife, Inoichi?" she suddenly asked, curious about her best friend's whereabouts.

Inoichi's jaw clenched. He sputtered, "I'm afraid that they couldn't get out of the village." Hearing this news broke her to pieces. She knows how much he loves his family, and without them by his side, he's probably throbbing with never ending pain. "It is likely that they have surrendered to Madara and are now working under his orders," he continued quietly, "From the information I have received from Ibiki back when I was still in the village, Madara Uchiha isn't disposing most of the ninja that he has captured. Only the ones that disobey his commands and wishes."

"I see…" She finished the last of her healing and blandly watched as Inoichi stood up with more strength than he had before. "Do you know if the Hokage is alright? Is he living?"

"Ah, Kakashi Hatake. I almost forgot that he was once your sensei," he smiled sadly, "Well, I am not sure, honestly. If he was captured, it is most likely that he was killed…another theory is that he could have been kept hostage to swap for Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed jinchuriki." He stroked his chin as he fell into deep thought. "And if he did flee the village successfully, he should be forming an alliance right now with the other Hidden Villages. I do not know if they were raided as well."

She merely murmured, "Oh."

Just then, she remembered about her shoulder being displaced then immediately pushed it back into its socket, suppressing the pain as she did so. After a short breather, the two of them turned to face their attackers.

"Who are they?" questioned Sakura, her eyes roaming over the men's faces. They seemed too unfamiliar for her to know them.

Inoichi incredulously shot her a glance. "I am surprised that you haven't recognized them yet, Sakura-chan. Well, those two are Izumo and Kotetsu, the life-long friends of the Hidden Leaf Village." He saw her mouth drop into the letter 'O'. "Take a closer look if you don't believe me, kid."

Doing what he had suggested, she bent over the two injured Leaf ninja and observed them carefully, soon becoming aware that it was indeed Izumo and Kotetsu. But they look quite different from the last time she had spoke to them.

Izumo's chestnut-colored hair was darker shade of brown. His face held three scars by his left eye, which surprisingly wasn't hidden by his bangs, and his chin was no longer covered by the neck piece of his undershirt. His right eye, unfortunately, was concealed by a moistened red bandage, which signified that he was blind on that particular spot. Deciding that she would help him, despite the fact that he and Kotetsu had turned against her and Inoichi, she pulled the cloth off and healed the wound with her medicinal chakra and remaining herbs. Izumo had simply gazed intensely at her with his single eye while she did so, as if he was somewhat thankful.

Kotetsu, on the other hand, was completely different than before. His hair was still sharp and spiky as she has remembered, but it was almost like the color of black. The bandage on his nose line was no longer there, revealing a narrow scar that ran from his left cheek to the right. A thin blue scarf was wrapped around his neck, making it seem as if he was hiding something dear and personal. She too tended to his injuries, but as she finished the last of her work, he had snapped at her and growled low. It was so unlike him.

Inoichi began his brief explanation. "From what I've found out, Madara Uchiha places a forbidden jutsu in the ninja's mind. It temporarily pains the client, then erases most of their self-control, which leads to them obeying him. This is exactly what these two men are undergoing now. It appears as if Madara didn't apply his jutsu to the fullest, considering that they aren't doing much to escape." He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing as he did so.

Sakura, feeling a tad bit bad for the two of them, said, "Is there any way that you can destroy the seal placed in their minds? If you are able to look into their brains for more information, I suppose that you can release the seal so that they can come back to their self consciousness." Her voice sounded more pleading than she intended it to…Perhaps it's just the fact that she can't stand having them undergo such a cruel process.

"I guess I can try," he replied firmly, "But I will have to prepare a circular chakra layout. Do you think we can start it now?" He gazed at his surroundings to make sure that they were the only ones present.

"Try it now," she agreed silently, "I will guard you while you complete your jutsu."

The blonde-haired jounin nodded solemnly and performed an immediate set of hand signs.

**. . .**

Tiny beams of light invaded the darkness, slowly increasing in brightness until everything was a blinding white haze. There were sounds: a silent pulsing hum, rustling that was too vague to be identified, and beautiful chirps. Hinata has heard about the gracefulness that Heaven could bring upon the fallen. She wondered…was she dead?

No, she couldn't possibly be dead, for her limbs were still aching sore. Plus, if she was dead, she probably wouldn't be able to feel pain ever again.

She squinted her eyes at what appeared to be a large, green canopy. Wondering where she was, she tried to sit up, only to cause a burning sensation within her stomach. Everything hurt. She could practically feel the dry blood on her face. Closing her eyelids, she forced herself to take long, even breaths in order to relax herself. Listening intently, she now knows that she is no longer in her destroyed home but is in a particular wildlife area. The chirping was no doubt being caused by the birds, she assumed that the rustling was the movement of animals pushing their way through the bushes, and the humming sounded more like snoring, now that she paid more attention to it. Once her senses adjusted more accurately, she opened her eyes and rolled it toward her side, only to find a distorted figure sitting beside her.

After blinking a couple of times, she was well aware that the figure beside her was none other than Sai, the teammate of Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, and Captain Yamato - she has never found out of his real name, not that she cared. Thinking confusingly to herself, she opened her mouth and attempted to say something. Nothing came out but an eased breath. She tried again; still nothing.

A thought suddenly hit her on the back of her head. Perhaps her vocal chords were damaged. Yes, that could be the reason why she was unable to speak. She could recall the moment when Madara had thrown her into the air, her back immediately hitting the point of a crumbled wall. No, not only that, but he had also tightly gripped onto her neck before doing so. She didn't know if he did that intentionally, but for all she cared, she needed to get Sai's attention.

Taking another chance, she opened her mouth again and tried to say the boy's name. "S…Sai." Her voice cracked more than she thought it would, but it's her vocal chords to blame on this one. She eyed Sai. He didn't move at all. "Sai." This time, she said his name more clearly, yet it was still too soft. "Sai." The third time had done it. Sai slowly arose from slumber and squirmed in his position, the back of his hand rubbing his watery eyes.

Finally, their gazes met and Sai's lips parted in shock. After being frozen in surprise with a mixture of happiness and sadness, he took her into his arms and hugged her with all his might, forgetting that she was injured on the arm. Eventually, he noticed her ragged breathing and pulled back from the embrace, a slight smile wrenching itself onto his lips.

Without a word, he searched for something in a medium-sized pack that he held by his side. A few seconds have passed and then he held out a box of bento in front of her face, hunger soon consuming her mind. Returning the grin, she gladly accepted the food and began to eat carefully, making sure that she doesn't move much. As she ate, she felt his gaze on her face. She was sure that he was worried about the wound that trailed from her cheek to her neck.

When she finished eating, he began talking. "Hinata, are you alright? Can you talk?"

Sadly, she shook her head. "Ma…dara…damaged my…vocal ch-chords." She never thought that she would have so much trouble speaking. No matter how hard she tried, she could never stop pausing for an unreasonable amount of time. This was embarrassing.

"Don't say anything else," he insisted, knowing that the more she spoke, the more she damaged her vocals, "I will give you a notepad and writing utensil to write on later so that you can explain the whole situation to us. From that point, we'll work out a plan and search for the others."

Curiously, she croaked, "U-Us?" She knows that she has disobeyed Sai's commands, but she has to know who else has accompanied him on his escape from the village.

All of a sudden, a large bark and the words, "Shut up!" pounced against her eardrums. Embracing the familiar voices, she spun around to only see Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru nearing their location, Kiba ticked off and Akamaru wailing relentlessly. Eventually, they realized that she was wide awake and greeted her barbarically. It felt really nice to see that her comrades haven't changed at all.

"Hinata-chan!" whispered Kiba as he patted her on the head, his foolish grin exposing his canine teeth. "Feeling better? Man, I was worried out of my mind about you. Sai had sent out his ink snakes to search for survivors or people who weren't placed under Madara's jutsu. Luckily, he found you and brought you to our camp. I was relieved to see that you were alright. So was Neji."

She gawked. "Ne…ji?"

The brown-haired ninja questionably looked at her - she assumed that he was wondering about her voice - and scratched the back of his head after shooting a quick glance toward the ANBU agent. Sai shrugged and told him that he would explain everything when the rest have arrived from their hunt - she knew that they were most likely searching for any others who were lucky enough to flee Konoha.

Just then, a blonde-headed woman, she seemed to be around her early twenties, entered the small bushy area, her oceanic eyes flying from one ninja's face to another. She wore a simple short robe that could be easily mistaken for a dress with fishnet undergarments, and a black skirt to top it all off. It wasn't hard to identify who she was; Samui of the Hidden Cloud. But one thing didn't make sense: if Samui was here, then where were they?

"Everybody has arrived from searching the borderline, Sai. They are all waiting back at my humble home," began the blonde, her voice stern and firm, "We can arrange a short meeting back in the Hidden Cloud Village with the Raikage. We have to make it quick though, because we never know if the Akatsuki will strike our village next. Just in case, I have sent orders to prepare it underground in a secret cavern. It is only known to the elders." Sai nodded in response and shot Hinata a glare. Samui averted her attention to the raven-haired Hyuga and smiled ever so slightly. "I see that sending out your search parties benefited you after all. I guess this is the Byakugan user you were speaking of earlier."

Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked out into the distance. She is able to see up to a hundred fifty kilometers, which is surprisingly a bigger range than Neji's, after training relentlessly with her sister Hanabi. Just to make sure, she observed her surroundings. A couple minutes passed and she was now well aware that she is indeed in the Land of Lighting. Knowing that Madara wouldn't go this far to look for the missing nin, she sighed in relief and slouched further back into the hollow tree, ignoring the odd stares she were receiving from Kiba and his dog.

"Hinata-chan." Her Byakugan faded away and her eyes were currently settled upon Sai's pale face. "We're going to rush the Hidden Cloud as soon as you're ready. We'll have Akamaru carry you on the journey, and it won't be very long before we arrive. When we do reach our destination…" He glared directly at Kiba. "Kiba, when we get to the village, immediately take Hinata to a medic nin and have her evaluated. I want her healed, or at least rested, within two hours before we start the meeting." He began drawing his ink lions on the ninjitsu scroll. "Do you all understand?"

"Understood."

The wild cats popped out of the sheet of paper and growled silently, their heads jerking from right to left. Sai jumped onto one and tamed it skillfully, then motioning for Samui to occupy the second one.

"Alright, move out squad."

**. . .**

Grimly, Sakura Haruno watched Inoichi as he finished the last of his jutsu on Kotetsu. Izumo was already fully conscious, but he has been lying on the ground, staring up at the orange-pink sky. Wanting to start a conversation, she hoped it would break this unbearable silence, she managed to avert the chestnut-haired ninja's attention to her. He simply gazed at her with his single onyx eye, the other shut tightly. The wound on his useless eye began to close an hour ago, but it still was a horrific sight.

"Izumo, do you know what happened before Madara placed the jutsu on you and Kotetsu?" she inquired.

He didn't respond and after an unreasonable period of utter silence, she pulled her pink hair back into a bundle and tied it into a bun with a rubber band that she had found on the dirt path. Keeping her eyes on the chunin, she let her bangs drop in front of her forehead, a portion of her gash being hidden.

He then released a jagged breath and propped himself up with his arm. "Me and Kotetsu were guarding the Northern Gate, like any other normal day. Suddenly, the Rogue Ninja, Sasuke Uchiha…" He paused to confirm that she was okay about speaking of the boy. "…Well, he had ambushed us with his comrade, Suigetsu Hozuki. They put up a tough fight, and Sasuke had even summoned the legendary Susano'o. I don't know how, but me and Kotetsu were split up as we tried retreating. I don't remember anything after that." He hung his head sorrowfully. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I know you wanted to see if I had any information on the Hokage's location. I'm afraid that I don't know where Kakashi-sama is."

Just mentioning his name crushed her flat. Sakura clenched onto her stomach and bit back a small whimper. Honestly, it was hard to admit and she never thought that she would, but she missed that silver-haired pervert. He was the light in her life. The only person who actually understood her pain and despair. It would break her heart if he was dead at this very moment.

An exasperated groan filled the atmosphere, bringing her and his attention to Kotetsu. The dark blue-haired ninja was on the ground, his knees and hands the things that kept him up. He shakily spit onto the sandy gravel and immediately began to rub his ankles. There were chain marks on his skin and it didn't look like they was going to disappear any time soon.

"I have a headache," he mumbled as he pressed his palm to his forehead. He managed to take a glimpse of the ninja surrounding him and lost most of his composure. "Izumo…Sakura…Inoichi…the village is being destroyed." He shuddered to the eerie sound of his own voice. "I don't remember anything."

The pink-haired kunoichi filled him in. "The Akatsuki infiltrated our village, including Madara Uchiha. They have destroyed nearly everything in their path and killed most of the innocent. Madara, thinking that you would be useful in the future, placed a jutsu on you and Izumo which caused you to only obey him. He has basically brainwashed all of the ANBU agents, including Root, and other ninja from different ranks," she explained briefly, "Unfortunately, I do not know the whereabouts of the current Hokage and Lady Tsunade. It is a possibility that the both of them may just be…" She choked on her own words.

Fumbling with the summoning scroll, Inoichi stood up. "Well we shouldn't lounge around and do nothing at all. For now, we should try to find other survivors and avoid Madara's search parties. Their is a great probability that we have to disguise ourselves and our names. We will all discuss it later on when we find a decent place to stay at."

A frown crossed Izumo's face. "I agree, but where exactly are we going to rest?"

She took charge of the conversation. "I highly suggest the Hidden Mist Village," she stated firmly, "I understand that place is full of thieves, thugs, and even Rogue, but it's not like we have any other choice. Aside all of those troubles, I know someone who can arrange a nice dwelling for the four of us. She is the co-manager of an inn, but I doubt that we can each get a separate room for ourselves. We might have to pose as different people. Like Inoichi said, we can discuss it when we get there."

Doubtfully, the three men exchanged glances. The two ninja had hesitantly agreed to her decision, and then the jounin finally gave in. Knowing that they don't have much time left before Madara sends his 'minions' on the hunt, she immediately stood up, ignoring the fact that she was straining her knee joints.

"Alright! From this point, our squad will be called Kitsune, meaning Fox. We will only be stealthy and strong-willed from this point on. We will work to find survivors and we will work to live with what we find," she commanded, "Understood?"

"Hai, Sakura-taichou!" they all chimed.

She held two fingers out, her eyes pasted onto her current team, and swiped her hand through the air, motioning for everyone to move forward. Bouncing off branches and rushing across the barren ground, the four ninja kept silent in order to keep their location a secret. Within half an hour, they made it to shore, the ocean the only obstacle in their way of arriving at the Hidden Mist. After taking a short breather, they continued their journey across the water, the cold liquid splashing onto their numbing skin.

It took another hour before they reached the border of Kirigakure. Full of exhaustion and fatigue, the squad stumbled onto the misty terrain. It was summer, so it was very humid in the Land of Water. Despite the fog and lack of sunlight, it was extremely hot as they furthered into the rain forest. Finally, deciding that they would rest for the day and spiffy themselves up, they camped underneath a large tree that hid them and their belongings.

Sakura, unable to bear the stiffness her sore limbs were causing, said that she would cleanse herself in the nearby river. Izumo said that he would too, Kotetsu and Inoichi announcing that they would prepare the campfire first. So the brown-haired chunin accompanied the kunoichi to the stream, ready to take a short, relaxing bath.

She stripped herself bare, her eyes concentrated on the water rather than the man who was also removing his clothes and equipment next to her. The both of them had promised to each other that they would not sexually involve themselves before they even arrived at the small grassy area, so she trusted that he would indeed keep his distance away from her.

Her hands roamed over the scar on her stomach, her fingers pricking at her breasts. It was stinging, so she made note that she would apply medicinal ointment on it later. She then gently rubbed the dried blood off her face and arms, careful to not put too much pressure on the shoulder that was previously displaced. When she had finished, she spun around to find Izumo done as well. He just stood there, his single eye concentrated only on her. She had an idea that he was admiring her gorgeous body, but she was used to it since many men do that in front of her. Although, she never considered herself a pretty woman.

Izumo himself looked pretty damn sexy too. His arms were well built and the scars on his chest made him seem tough and hard to get through. Without his bandanna, he was a completely different person. His hair was a little too long, but not too long to mistaken him for a female. His bangs were back in its regular place, except that it was on the right side of his face, which disappointed her - she thought he looked better without a portion of his hair covering his eye.

Of course, the both of them couldn't see anything else besides the quarter top of their body. The water was leveled onto their chests, which has cut half of the sight of her breasts off, leaving him to only see her cleavage. She was relieved that he wasn't doing anything to see more than gazing. She never wanted to be taken advantage of in the first place…

He slowly nodded, telling her that he was indeed done with his bathing. Knowing that he wanted some privacy, she placed her hands on top of her eyes and let her eyelids slide closed. When she had heard him say, "Alright," she removed herself from the river, her hair soaking wet and droplets of water slipping down her slim sides.

Taking her time, she slipped her bra and underwear on. Having an idea that her shorts weren't completely damaged and ripped, she wore it again. The only problem was that her shirt was covered in blood and grime, the back section torn to shreds, leaving her with no top to wear.

"Sakura?"

Quick like a fox, she crossed her arms in front of her breasts and hid it from sight, her cheeks reddening slightly. She watched in bewilderment as Kotetsu entered the small creek, his hand tightly gripped onto a loose branch and the other supporting him as he strode down the sloping path. He spotted her and immediately tossed his head in the opposite direction to avoid her embarrassed gaze. He hesitated to further more into the area for three minutes before gathering his wits.

Struggling to keep his composure, he muttered selflessly, "Um, what's wrong?"

She gawked. "What's wrong? My shirt is torn and unusable!" she snapped, her skin turning peachy pink. She glowered for a moment before silently apologizing for her change of attitude.

The blue-haired chunin stroked his chin as he thought deeply. Just then, he removed his sweatshirt and tossed it to her, the clothing landing right before her bare feet. Shrugging, he walked toward the clear river, explaining that Inoichi had left in hope of encountering a small department of some sort. He said that the Yamanaka wanted to buy some clothes for disguises and that the squad would discuss their code names later on this evening. So this was the exact reason of to why Kotetsu lent her his shirt for the time being.

Bobbing her head ever so slightly, she slipped the garment on when she had a chance and practically scurried out of the open field, leaving the ninja all alone. Quickly, she pushed her way through the shrubs, flowers, and bushes and then finally arrived back at camp, her breathing uneasy.

Shakily, she settled herself upon a prepared tatami mat - she assumed it was now hers - and crossed her legs, her numbing toes sticking out from underneath her knees. Unaware that Izumo was sitting beside her, she stretched her arms out, her hand eventually making contact with his cheekbone.

Sheepishly, she mumbled, "Oops, I didn't see you there, Izumo. Sorry!" She rubbed the back of her neck, her fingers clawing at her pink, tangled hair.

He forced a smile. "I think I can take the blame for this time for not telling you."

For a while, no one didn't say anything and didn't even bother to start another conversation. Kotetsu came back sooner than they thought and he too seated himself beside the medic nin. Though Kotetsu was one of those talkative people, he didn't dare to say a word. The three of them had too much concerns in mind to speak to their comrades.

Sakura has been desperately hoping that her friends were alright, including the higher-ranked. Aside the fact that they always teased her and put her out in front of everyone, she loved them like family. Kotetsu was wondering how Konoha was doing - he guessed that the village has most likely fallen in the hands of Madara Uchiha. And as for Izumo, he was simply questioning himself about giving his trust toward their formed team - there was no one out there to truly rely on anymore since most had turned against their own fellow ninja.

Of what was an hour seemed to be a like a decade. Long at last, Inoichi had made it back to camp successfully, his arms full of materials, weapons, and of course, clothes to hide themselves from the indoctrinated. Sighing, he dropped everything to the rocky ground and shakily plopped onto his bottom, exhausted from madly searching his way around the Hidden Mist Village.

The jounin explained that he had found a nearby store just thirty minutes away from where they were right now. It held a few useful weapons and lots of clothing and supplies. He found most handy, but was only able to use half of the money that he currently holds - they need to preserve their savings in order to buy what is necessary.

"Okay, so I formed a plan on the way back to base," began the blonde, his oceanic eyes averting from one face to another, "Starting tomorrow, we are going to stay in the Hidden Mist until we gather enough intel to move on to a different location. I've done my research and found the inn that Sakura specifically had mentioned earlier. We are to rest there for the time period that we will be present in this village, and we will not slack off. We will try to get as much as information out of civilians and ninja, then report back to each other at night time." He started to nervously fidget with his shuriken. "So all that is left to do is to create our code names. Izumo, you start off."

"Hm," he hummed silently, "I will be Keisuke, for now."

Kotetsu soon followed afterward. "Call me Sora."

Inoichi planted his hands on his thighs and leisurely stated, "Tsuyoshi."

All eyes were placed on the kunoichi, and calmly, she tried to think up of a great code name that would fit her personality well. For moments, her mind was lacking thoughts and ideas. Luckily, the aroma of the nearby flowers inspired her…

"Kaori," she simply said.

Inoichi spoke again. "Alright, so Izumo is Keisuke, Kotetsu is Sora, I am Tsuyoshi, and Sakura is Kaori. I suppose that all of our names suit us well…so now that this is out of the way, I guess we can rest up and regain our energy that we have lost during our little conflict during full dawn."

"Wait," the kunoichi demanded softly, "We can't walk around the village separately. People may take us as acquaintances, considering that we are going to meet up a lot, and could eventually become suspicious of our activities. It is best if we pose as different people. Plus, it would be very dangerous to have a woman such as me roam around by herself, especially if she holds vital information." She was hoping that they understood that she was referring 'that woman' to herself.

"Sakura is correct," sighed Inoichi, "I haven't thought about that possibility yet." He paused for a minute, his eyelids sliding closed. "Okay, I have made my decision. Sakura and Izumo, you will pose as a couple, a.k.a, lovers. Kotetsu and I will pose as close-relationship civilians, or as you guys say, 'best' friends."

"Why can't Izumo and I disguise ourselves as close friends? We already are," frowned Kotetsu.

"That is true, but Izumo has better skill in protecting and guarding while your skills and intellect lie in the base of attack and stealth. Therefore, Izumo would be better suited to watching over Sakura than you," explained Inoichi, his tone growing gruff. "Any other questions?"

…Silence…

"We head out first thing tomorrow morning. Now go get some sleep."

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

Reviews Are Appreciated


	3. Preparations

A/N: Sorry for the long update. I came back from Illinois not too long ago and I'm still exhausted from the trip. School is also coming right around the corner and I am most likely not going to be able to update quickly, so please bare with me. Besides, school always comes first before this.

Warning - Slight Izumo X Sakura in the next couple of chapters

Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto at all

Note: Remember that Sakura, Izumo, Inoichi, and Kotetsu have codenames, so if I mention any unknown names, it's their codenames. If you do not recall anything about the characters creating their fake identities, I suggest you read the last few paragraphs in the previous chapter 'The Formations'.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seventh Hokage<strong>_

_**Chapter 3: Preparations**_

* * *

><p>Sakura Haruno and Izumo Kamizuke were ordered to book a room for themselves before Inoichi Yamanaka and Kotetsu Hagane did—the two men decided that they would gather intel on the Hidden Mist before they unpack and rest. So Sakura and Izumo went to the inn, Mist Bathhouse, and only rented one room since they were a 'couple'—getting two bedrooms could blow their cover. They met up with the co manager an hour after unpacking to arrange a few deals and proposes. Later, when Inoichi and Kotetsu arrive at the rendezvous point, the four of them would plan out the rest of their tactics for the following couple of weeks.<p>

The pink-haired kunoichi silently forbid goodbye to the co manager, Akemi, and hooked her arm with the chunin's. Together, they walked from the office to their rented room. It was an odd and eerie trip back to their current dwelling, and the fact that they were exchanging love glances bothered them even more. The two of them know very well that neither of them share any common feeling for each other. Plus, they aren't that fond of the idea of posing as lovers. Adding it all up, it made the situation extremely awkward.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they arrived at their destination. Uncomfortably, she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Knowing that no one is around, she let her arm slip away from his and strode straight toward the washroom, unaware of Izumo's long hardened glares.

Her hand reached up toward her bun and she undid it carefully, glad to feel her hair brushing against the back of her neck. She was never excited about getting all dolled up for their squad mission, but for the sake of her and their safety, she did it. To be honest, she adored the red flowered kimono that Inoichi bought her for disguise, but having to put her hair up in a femininely way disgusted her. You can say that she isn't the most feminine woman out there.

"You looked nice with your hair up like that." She turned to look over her shoulder to find Izumo sitting on the mattress, his cold gaze eventually pasting to her face. "I don't see why you had to let it down."

She smiled slightly at his sudden comment. The way he said things reminded her of Kakashi. His cool tone, calm expression, and kind yet playful comments almost fitted the image of the Copy Ninja. Not to mention the chunin's well built body. It wasn't much of a 'drool-over-image' but it was oddly similar to the jounin's.

If she could remember correctly, she had last seen Kakashi's upper body five months ago when he was forced into her apartment complex by Tsunade-sama. He badly injured himself during an ANBU mission but he refused any medical attention, so the blonde had literally dragged him all the way to her humble abode for a quick fix. She could recall that it had taken her three hours to finish operating on his wounds due to the amount of his irritating complaining and struggling. She was pretty sure that was the only time when they had actually got _that_ close to each other…

The abrupt shaking of her head interrupted the flow of her thoughts. Forcing a grin, she announced, "Thanks, Izumo. Well I'm just going to take a short bath before we head out to the rendezvous point. I'll be done in about fifteen minutes."

Izumo nodded nonchalantly. "I'll visit the springs then."

"Tell me how it is." She waved him off with her hand and entered the bathroom, eventually closing the door behind her.

**. . .**

He stripped himself clean of his casual clothes. The clothing pooled around his feet and he scooped it up to settle it on an unoccupied shelf. Afterward, he silently poked his head out of the door to see if any other men were using the springs. He saw no one, so he took this chance to literally jump into the hot steamy paradise. Within a minute, his chestnut hair was floating on the water's surface and just then, his whole figure bobbed up from underneath the warm spring. Crossing his arms behind his neck, he fell back against a smooth rock to relax his tense body.

Izumo hasn't experienced such a heavenly relaxation period for years. With Tsunade-sama ordering him and Kotetsu around like servants, they never had any time to stop and take a breather. Most of the time, it was like hell. At other times, Tsunade would be kind and lighten up the work. It was the least she could do for them.

Sighing heavily, the chunin sank further into the liquid, only to have a burning heat meet his collar bone. Silently, he observed his surroundings while patiently waiting for his body to adjust to the warmth. For a small bathhouse inn, the place was pretty unique and peaceful. The springs were surrounded by peach wooden fences that divided the men's area from the women's. Rare designed rocks were also placed in different spots to spiffy up the natural scene. Plus, the inn had cherry blossom trees grown on the flower garden patches.

The trees were lively and beautiful. Branches branched from others branches, and bright pink blossoms sprouted from their roots. The flowers seemed small and delicate, and they had a colorful shade of magenta and purple. The base of the trunk was covered with small clouds of moss, but it wasn't too noticeable. Half of the bark was dark brown that faded into a somewhat pale caramel color and tiny green leaves were caught in between the chips. The trees were a nice sight indeed. They were big and tremendously monstrous, but in the heart, they were as soft and fragile as a baby. Cherry blossoms took him way back into the past, but they particularly reminded him of Sakura Haruno.

He smiled and laughed to himself. Sakura was so much like those trees. She was a monstrous one indeed, meaning her bad temper and gigantic strength, but she also had a soft and mushy side—the part of her where she expresses her true sorrow. He could always remember her watery jade eyes when she was worried about her comrades and her regretful frown was something that always convinced him to comfort her. Her sadness always struck him in his most weakest spots…

_No_. He mustn't take his thoughts of her too far.

He took a half step out of the spring and was on his way back to the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and his casual attire hanging off his forearm. It was almost ten minutes before he was standing in front of the door with a nonchalant expression. Usually, he would burst in with a practiced 'happy-go-go' grin that always raised people's spirits, but this time, he chose to ease in with sagging shoulders and a slightly hanging head. He just wasn't feeling his best, that was all.

He closed the door shut and locked it. A minute later, he was dressed in a dark blue kimono with a design of gray clouds swept across the fabric, his ninja gear underneath the clothing—he decided that he would bring a few weapons in case an ambush occurs during their meeting. He didn't put on his hitai-ate, for it would definitely reveal his and the rest of the squad's true identity, but kept it tucked deep into his pocket for remembrance of Konohagakure.

Recognition was just something that he couldn't afford.

"Ah, Izumo. I thought I heard you out there." He looked over his shoulder to find Sakura's head peeping out from the bathroom. "Can you be kind enough and hand me that towel on the bed? I forgot to bring it in here," she continued, an embarrassed smile playing on her features.

He nodded and tossed her the towel. She caught it easily, and before he knew it, she was back in the washroom to finish up her business. He sighed heavily as he flopped onto the mattress. The intoxicating scent of roses were creeping around him, filling his nostrils with a strong sensation. He felt his eyes water but he blinked to wash the tears away.

Women and their habits of being tidy—sometimes it irritated him.

"Alright, I'm ready."

His darkened eyes rolled to the right and his jaw nearly dropped. _Nearly._

There she was, beautiful and all. She was equipped with a white flowered kimono, the pattern the color of pink. The hem of the fabric was designed to be very thin and see-through, which made it look very appealing. Her undergarment was a clear black fishnet that surprisingly aroused him. Her hair was let down and the ends were curled, and she had put on a reasonable amount of faint eye shadow on her eyelids. Angelic, pretty, amazing, stupendous…well he could keep going on and on with a list of words that describe her current appearance.

"Shall we head out to the rendezvous point,_ Keisuke-kun_?" she questioned silently, her voice a bit dry. "I apologize if I'm discomforting you, but I have to act my best to be your, quote and quote, lover." She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, her cheeks slightly reddening.

"Mm," he hummed, "you're doing alright, _Kaori-chan_. And I suppose we can leave now."

She exposed a tiny grin. "Okay…"

He stood up and strode over to her, his hand held out for her to grab. It was a while before she responded, but she gladly accepted it and held onto it with so much might that the both of their palms were moist with sweat. Within a second, they were out the door and on their way to the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village.

**. . .**

Hinata observantly watched as the medic nin tended to her last wound located on the midpoint of her arm, nearby a vein that could have possibly been cut if the attack had been stronger. Her spectacles grew round as they concentrated on the woman's faintly glowing hands, but immediately escaped the captivation a few seconds later. The healing process was quite long, to her surprise. She had watched Sakura work plenty of times in the hospital, but comparing from the injuries the pink-haired kunoichi healed, this one was really severe.

She never wanted to think about it again, but something kept drawing her back to the incident she was involved in back at the Hidden Leaf. It frightened her to the point where she felt as if she was on the border line of passing out. She almost died not too long ago because of Madara. The damage he had done to her nearly broke her fragile body into pieces. The strong compression on her neck destroyed her vocals, and she was fortunate to have them reattached in the ER. The large impact against the remnants of a building slightly cracked her rib cage and spine, and the slaps he gave to her caused her cheeks to swell up into a plump red lump. She was lucky to be found by Sai's arranged search party. She would have been long gone if he hadn't.

She never thought she would be so happy to see Sai her friends again after what happened to her. Kiba and Akamaru greeted her, and he even conversed normally as if nothing horrible ever occurred. She was glad to hear that Neji was doing fine, although she hasn't really seen him yet. Lee visited her and so did Shino, but she was sad to hear that Tenten didn't make it. Neji must have been devastated, considering that him and her were pretty close. Knowing her cousin, he must have made assumptions and believed that she must still be out there, fighting to survive.

Hinata held her breath as the woman suddenly pressed her fingers against the enclosed gash, the slight pain on the verge of worsening. "Now tell me," she began softly, "is the pain sharp, aching, or throbbing?" She repeated the action, except that this time it was with more care.

The raven-haired kunoichi nearly squeaked, "Throbbing."

The medic nin nodded and gently compressed an ice pack against her wrist. When the freezing coldness met her skin, she was relieved. She has never felt any better…

"Does it help, sweetie?" she questioned, reaching to her side to grab a roll of bandages.

Hinata managed to smile. "A whole lot."

"Great," she said, "now I want you to keep this. It may help you and your friends in the future. I wish you and your squad luck." She stood up and gathered a load full of medical supplies that she brought in. "And don't worry, the Hidden Cloud will assist you and your comrade's needs."

"Please be careful as you do so. Madara and h-his teammates are dangerous," warned the Hyuga.

The woman looked over her shoulder as she juggled all of her items into one arm, her hand reached out to turn the doorknob. "I've heard about all of their nasty doings. I understand that the relationship between our villages isn't strong, but we will do anything to stop the devastation," she replied.

"Thank you. From all of us in Konohagakure."

She exited the room and Hinata heard an assuring, "Your friend is alright," and a determined, "I see. Thank you." The door was shut and Lee poked his head out from the doorway, his face illustrating his distraught. Slowly, he walked to her side and took a seat on the unoccupied stool.

He didn't greet her immediately, to her surprise, but he was curious enough to let his eyes roam around her face and upper body to inspect her bruises and cuts. His lips would slightly part every time his gaze met a terrible wound and he would gasp whenever he spotted a huge bruise. Of course, to be closely observed was unnerving, but she could understand why he would do such a thing. He's only trying to be a good friend.

"For a wracked up ninja," he began, "you seem pretty clean of blood and grim."

She took it as a compliment. "W-Well they sterilized me before operating and bathed me too. It was kind of…"

"Awkward?" he continued for her. "I know the feeling. They did the exact process to me when I injured myself during my genin years." He fidgeted with his fingers before glaring at her intensely. "You remember that, don't you?"

She nodded and whispered, "Yes."

If she could remember correctly, Rock Lee was terribly injured after having to battle Gaara of the Sand, also known as the jinchuriki of the Sand, during the preliminaries of the Chunin Exam. Gaara's attacks were so harsh and wicked that Lee wasn't able to avoid or block any. He was quickly brought to the ER afterward and was notified that he might never be able to continue his career as a shinobi. Of course, the boy refused to give up and practically demanded for Tsunade to perform the required surgery. It was a success, thankfully, and everything went back to normal again.

Silence consumed the rest of the conversation and neither decided to speak up. It has been a while since the two of them talked friend-to-friend. Lee was away on a two-month mission in Ame and he happened to complete it during the verge of the Fourth Great Ninja War. According to Sai, he returned to the Hidden Leaf and found it being destroyed, and he even encountered one of Sasuke's accommodates, Suigetsu—a young teenage ninja who was placed into the Bingo book almost a year ago; he was recognized as the 'second Zabuza' due to his use of Zabuza's sword. Sai told her that Lee managed to escape after creating a diversion and ran far away from the falling village. The taijutsu user found the artist and the rest of the squad three hours later in an underground passage located beneath the Forest of Dead Trees.

"So how are you doing? Do you think you can walk?" he suddenly asked, his voice drowning in sorrow.

"Yeah, I'm p-pretty sure I-I can walk," she assured, "The c-cuts and bruises…look b-bad, but they're not too s-serious, L-Lee. I think I can handle the p-pain if I take the medication I received." She wanted to slap herself. Here she was, stuttering nervously like no tomorrow, in front of one of her closest friends!

"Ha!" he harrumphed. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed, Hinata! You are still as shy as before! Good ol' Hinata!"

Apparently, he didn't mind.

Someone softly knocked at the door and it was gently propped open. It was only the Raikage's assistant, Mabui.

"Hinata-san, Lee-san, the Raikage wishes to begin the meeting before sundown," stated Mabui, "Hinata-san, are you able to walk?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. Now, Lee and I will wait outside for you while you're making your preparations and changing back into your ninja garments. The Raikage is only giving us thirty minutes to get ready so please hurry if you can." Mabui exited into the hallway with Rock Lee by her side and closed the door behind her.

Hinata released a dreary breath as she hopped out of bed. Her bare feet met the cold tiled floor within a second and her toes were already wiggling with delight. Carefully, she stripped herself clean of her patient's uniform and slipped into her hooded jacket and sweat pants. Her hands quickly strapped her pouch onto the side of her left thigh, then moved to her waistline to fix her belt. Her outfit was still slightly torn from the incident back in Konahagakure, but most of the shredded fabric was mended back together by the nurses in the medical facility. Her long silky hair had been cut off four inches because the ends were singed from the fire, so it no longer fell to the midpoint of her back but to her shoulders. The changes in her appearance was drastic, but it couldn't be helped.

She closed her eyes momentarily before walking out to the balcony. She let her head hang loose over the steel railing, her gaze following the passing-by Cloud ninja. They were all holding either weapons, scrolls, or gear, not that it surprised her. She just found it hard to believe that the Hidden Cloud was actually willing to assist the Hidden Leaf in their war with Madara.

"Hinata-san," Mabui called from the hallway, "are you finished?"

"Y-Yes!" she replied loudly. She hurriedly rushed into the room, snatched the last of her belongings, and departed the hospital with the company of Lee and Mabui.

**. . .**

_She saw him kneeling on the well manicured lawn, his face dug into his palms. She heard his muffled crying and sobs in between the howling winds and monstrous downpour. She couldn't tell if he was despairing over his lost loved ones or fretting over the frustration of becoming the Hokage. He has been through so much stress over the past few weeks since he his new career was declared. With all the paperwork, bills, taxing, and mission documents, he didn't have anytime to take a breather. Then came the funeral of Rin, ANBU agent and former teammate of the Copy Ninja, which caused him a short period of horrific trauma. _

_He was undergoing so much despair, and surprisingly, she rode on the trip with him._

_With a frown tugging at her lips, she strode over to him and crouched beside him. She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, feeling his violent shuddering at the same time. Silently, she watched him battle between his personal conflicts, the predicaments that he chose to never reveal. Unfortunately, she didn't have a resolution to this problem, so she let him try to figure it out on his own. Sadly, it was getting worse by the minute._

_Finally, he glanced at her with his single onyx eye. His mask was soaked from the rain and she could barely point out his facial features, and his eye was welling up with tears. She has never seen him before like this. Without his cool composure or self-control, he was a whole different person._

_"I'm sorry," he managed to croak, his spectacle growing faint of its color._

_She leaned in a bit closer. "I don't understand…"_

_He made his statement more clear, "I'm sorry for everything. Now that I think about it, I was a terrible sensei toward you and the rest of Team Seven. I was the reason why Sasuke left the village for vengeance, I was the reason why you and Naruto were hurt. Everyday, I have to go through the pain of looking at you because you remind me of my past. All day, all night, you're there in my office, assisting me and my needs. And all day, all night, I have to keep rebuilding that barrier I built in between me and my sorrows." He closed his eye momentarily. "It's not that I don't want you there, Sakura, but you're always reminding me about how horrible I was before I met you and Naruto."_

_She suddenly wrapped him in an embrace, a sharp pang of pain shooting through her heart. "Kakashi, you were never a terrible mentor or person. Don't fret over something that isn't true. Naruto doesn't hate you and neither do I. I love you. You're an amazing friend." She cradled him in her arms, her head settled on his shoulder blade, and he sighed heavily as he eased into her comfort. "You're an amazing friend, Kakashi. Don't you ever forget that."_

Sakura's eyelids slid open slowly. The memory faded away, bringing her back into reality.

She almost groaned inwardly. She wished she could have told him more. More about how much he meant to her, Naruto, Sai, and Yamato, and how much of a great role model he has been. Maybe it could have convinced him even further that he wasn't a nonexistent being, a burden. In fact, she wished that he was here right now, sitting next to her with a masked smile playing on his features. It would have been great to talk to him again after such a long period of time. It would have been relaxing to be in the presence of her former sensei and current Hokage.

Izumo interrupted the flow of her thoughts. "Kaori, darling, your face is paling."

She took a quick glimpse of the chunin before saying, "I'm fine, Keisuke-kun."

His arm suddenly rested on the top rim of the bench they were seated on, his hand lingering by her neck. The chestnut-haired man looked from right to left, then turned to talk to her again. "Sakura, nobody's passing by at the moment, so if you wanna chat about something, now is the time," he whispered into her ear.

She let herself lean on him, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. "I'd rather not, Izumo. Sorry."

He stiffened and took a long uneasy breath. "It's all good."

"Hm, you guys really look like a close couple!"

The two 'lovers' looked up to find two construction workers nearing their location, Inoichi and Kotetsu. Posing as carpenters was the only good disguise they had since kimonos didn't suit them well. In fact, it wasn't a very pretty sight. Fancy wear and accessories just didn't fit the image of Inoichi and Kotetsu, and when they did wear those kind of clothing, it was almost nightmarish.

The pink-haired kunoichi waved hello and forced a smile—it was unconvincing so the two men understood that she wasn't full of joy at the moment. She commented, "Well to be a couple, you have to act like a couple." She glanced to the chunin sitting beside her and he nodded in agreement. "Anyways, shall we head off to a more private place to exchange information? I have something I really want to share with the rest of the squad."

"Of course," began Inoichi, "and me and Kotetsu managed to get a small cabin for all of us. It is very well hidden and it is located by a bountiful source of natural resources. So you two don't have to stay in the Inn anymore, but you will still have to make arrangements with the co manager, Akemi. There aren't a lot of rooms in the cabin too, so the both of you might have to share a room. It depends on how we separate our squad. Anyways, let's hit the road. Just follow us and make sure no one is trailing behind us. Understood?"

"Hai," they said.

**. . .**

Hinata seated herself in between Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, her cousin. Sai, Kiba, Shino, and Mabui were on the other end, right across her, with Akamaru rolling around Kiba's feet. The Raikage and Samui were sitting on the far end of the table. The atmosphere was moist and humid since they were in a classified underground room, and roots were hanging from above like dead worms. Long concrete pillars held the ceiling up and the ground was tiled with ceramic stone. It was very hard for the kunoichi to adjust to the change of climate, but what was really uncomfortable was having to sit next to a dark aura-filled comrade. It was so discomforting that it was almost nerve wracking.

Ever since she stepped into this room, an eerie aura has been poking and prodding at her like a doll. She never thought it was coming from Neji, one of the most confident ninja she knew. In fact, he rarely encountered the so-called emotion, sorrow. And when he did, he didn't show it. But this time he did. His pain and despair was so strong that she could feel it prancing in the air like a parade. The misery he was expressing was also evident in his paling opal eyes.

"Alright, I am sure that everyone is present and not absent," the Raikage began sternly, "so we will begin the meeting now. First, we'll start off with exchanging information about Madara and his accommodates. We have to know his weaknesses and strengths before ambushing him."

Neji was the first to respond. "From what I've heard, he uses a complex jutsu and places it on the opponents brain. When it activates, he has full control of that person and uses him or her in any way he would like. He is a Sharingan user and is part of the Uchiha clan, so we cannot underestimate him and his power."

Lee came next. "I encountered one of his comrades, Suigetsu Hozuki, user of Zabuza's sword. I suspect that he was once part of the Hidden Mist and has a connection with Kisame Hoshigaki. Unfortunately, I don't know the whereabouts of Kisame. I do know that he is one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist."

"I have an idea where the Mist nin could be," interrupted the Raikage, "but we cannot go straight to conclusions. I suspected that he placed himself into his own sword, the one that my little brother Killer Bee, the jinchuriki, uses. I felt a strong chakra the other day and I am pretty sure that it wasn't my sibling's chakra. So I had some of our special ANBU ops follow him around. Anyways, any other info that I should know about?"

"Yes," Sai bluntly stated, "I ran into Sasuke Uchiha, Rogue of the Hidden Leaf. Me and my comrades have a lot of things to tell you about him since we were all close friends with him. Of course, I was just his replacement, but I met him once before and he doesn't quite fit the description that my comrades told me. I assume that Sasuke changed greatly as he traveled the path of vengeance. I also assume that you know of this boy."

Samui nodded. "Yes, we received some documents about the boy a while ago from your village."

"Oh yeah!" Kiba suddenly slammed his fist onto the table, causing Akamaru to wail in fright. "I battled one of Sasuke's teammates back in the village! Jugo, I think…"

"Jugo, hm?" hummed Mabui. "I've heard many horrible things about that poor child. I heard that he never had control of his emotions. Usually, he loses it and tries to destroy everything that gets in his way. A long time ago, from rumors, I found out that Orochimaru took him in and created the Curse Mark using Jugo's enzymes."

"Well those rumors are real," huffed Kiba, "He was one tough opponent! Damn, he nearly broke my ribs. When he's in his Curse Mark form, there's no stopping him. He's like one of those raging bulls or something. Ah, it's so complicated!"

The blond smirked. An outrageous ninja he is…

Mabui spoke again, "Oh yes, what about the girl Karin? The Hidden Cloud chunin saw her helping Sasuke when he tried taking Killer Bee to Madara. She has pinkish-red hair, am I correct? And wears glasses too?"

"Yeah, but she's on our side now. We interrogated her and she told us everything she knew about Sasuke. Turned out that Sasuke really didn't want to turn back to the Hidden Leaf. He only wanted more power to destroy the Leaf and Naruto Uzumaki," explained Shino, his fingers adjusting his darkly-shaded glasses.

"Oh. Naruto. Isn't he your friend?" asked Samui.

"Yes," they all murmured, "but we don't know if he's alive or not."

"I see," sighed the Raikage, "Well does anyone else have intel on Madara? He's our main target in this scenario." He eyed all of the Leaf shinobi suspiciously. "Perhaps one of you encountered him in your escape?"

Hinata's face suddenly paled. "I-I did, sir." She nervously fidgeted with her fingers as all eyes were laid on her. "He questioned me about Sakura Haruno, apprentice of L-Lady Tsunade. He wanted to capture the kunoichi for his own reasons but I helped her get away before anyone found her. Madara realized that I was the one who assisted her so he physically tortured me in order to get me to talk. It was very hard to hold back all of the tears and pain he was causing me…" She looked down and let her eyelids slide closed. "But I managed somehow. He was furious so he finished me off by grappling me by the neck. The strong compression damaged my vocal chords, and the large impact against the rubble when he tossed me aside nearly broke my spine. I thought I was dead, but Sai's inked snakes saved me. Him and the rest of the squad were searching for survivors…"

Neji released a harsh breath, "We're all glad you're still alive, Hinata."

She shuddered at the sudden comment her cousin made. "I-I am too," she breathed.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**Reviews are Appreciated**


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